Hubsan Spy Hawk John Stennard continues his coverage of First Person View flying with a review of a ready to fly camera plane The Hubsan Spy Hawk is quite a bold attempt to produce a relatively low cost and easy to use ARF FPV model aircraft. It's a surprisingly small and lightweight model and, in order to simplify matters, it does not use a headset. The live video transmission is displayed on a 3.5" screen on the face of the Tx. This obviously allows the pilot to both experience FPV fl ight while viewing the screen plus being able to see what is being recorded if this feature is being used. Of course, the Spy Hawk can be fl own like any other model without any reference to the screen. In this review I am purely looking at the model. Individuals should personally check the BMFA rules for FPV fl ying and how they apply to this model and FPV system. I will be test fl ying the Spy Hawk as a member of the FPV UK group on private land with a competent observer in attendance. I Spy With My Little The Spy Hawk comes well packaged and, in addition to the model parts, the box includes the Tx, a 7.4 V 450 mah LiPo, a balancer/charger, an AC/DC power adapter and a set of colourful self-adhesive decals. Two versions of the Spy Hawk are shown in the instruction manual; the H301C has a camera but no link to the ground station. The H301F(A) is the version with the 5.8 GHz link and the (A) signifi es that it s an aircraft. Helicopters are also available with cameras. In appearance the Sky Hawk is very much like a small version of my Cloud, the model which I have used for my FPV flying. The foam parts of the model are accurately formed and all the servos, radio and camera gear are in place. This means that there is very little assembling to do. The A5 size instruction manual looks very promising as there are pages of good quality colour photographs. Unfortunately the photos are let down by inaccurate and incorrect English. As it happens, many of the processes covered by the photos had already been done, so I did not have to try to understand what Press the propeller into the motor shaft (O ring on need) meant. I never did fi nd an O-ring, and the prop screws on the shaft using a left-hand thread! To be fair the photos show quite well what needs to be done and modellers who buy the Spy Hawk are likely to have had some experience of foam model aircraft. Also, a supplementary sheet Well-packaged Spy Hawk should be in perfect condition when you get your first glimpse 62 www.qefimagazine.com Spyhawk_QEFI_SEP12.indd 62 13/8/12 09:04:03
Kit Review Hubsan Spy Hawk Attractive and sleek fuselage of the Spy Hawk has all the R/C gear fitted The camera is in the nose try not to nose dive into the ground! Video camera unit with micro SD card and Rx in the cockpit area. Battery space is designed specifically for the 2S 450 LiPo flight pack Cockpit canopy features an important cooling grille. Do not block this off! Attaching the tail feathers is the only gluing job in with my model dealt with several extra points that were quite important. The transmitter (Tx) is a very impressive looking piece of kit with its fl ip up screen shield and twin antennas. Four buttons on the Tx are provided for programming. As soon as the fl ight pack was charged I fi tted eight AA batteries in the Tx to see how the radio and video system worked. The transmitters are sent out on Mode 2 but are set-up to easily convert to Mode 1. This requires a spring to be removed, two screws to be adjusted on the sticks and a programming change. As I was impatient, I started the tests with the Tx in Mode 2 and all went well. After the system initialisation screen, one is instructed to pair with plane and then everything comes alive. The screen shows the picture from the camera, which seemed very clear. Numerical values are shown on the screen for the stick movements. At the top left the numbers are for the fl ight timer; this starts as soon as the motor is started. In the top right of the screen is shown the Tx voltage. At this point the enter key can be pressed to enter the programming mode. I found the elevator V hinge had been cut through, so I cut it loose and re-hinged with Mylar Happy that everything was functioning, I took the back off the Tx and changed the sticks over to Mode 1. Unfortunately, when I tried to enter the programming to change the trims to match the new stick functions, the Tx froze up. After some fruitless attempts to sort this I contacted Jason and Paul at CML Distribution and they were extremely helpful. In an incredibly short time a replacement Tx, already changed to Mode 1 and checked out, arrived and this worked perfectly. www.qefimagazine.com 63 Spyhawk_QEFI_SEP12.indd 63 13/8/12 09:04:47
Aileron servos are pre-fitted into the wings. Note the CF wing joiner Kit includes an AC/DC power supply and balancer/charger unit Spy Hawk s rather interesting looking dual antenna Tx, seen with the screen opened up Quick Fix Back in business, I decided to leave any further Tx adjustments until after I had assembled the Spy Hawk. The model is made from durable EPO foam material and, as the wings push in place, the only assembly required is to glue the tailplane and fin onto the fuselage and connect up the pushrods. It really is a small model, with a wingspan of 840 mm (33") and length of 620 mm (24.5"). The Spy Hawk is powered by a C1404 brushless 3000 kv brushless Compared to the Cloud the Spy Hawk seems quite small motor using a special 110 x 30 mm prop (4.3" x 1.2") and a 6 A ESC. Four 2.2 g servos are used and the 2.4 GHz Rx system features a switchable autopilot system. A GPS one key to return system is under development and there are sockets on the PC board available for, maybe, other devices. With the model parts on the bench a close inspection of the elevator revealed that in some places the V-cut forming the hinge had cut right through the foam. Rather than patch this with tape I cut the elevator free and used three Mylar hinges to re-attach the elevator. The rudder and ailerons were fine but hinges of this type are always worth watching as they can fail after some use. The tailplane and fin were glued in place with UHU POR and, when connecting up the rudder and elevator pushrods, I slipped a safety ring (I use slices cut from fuel tubing for this) over the clevises. The aileron leads have to be connected and carefully tucked into the fuselage through a small hole before the wings can be pushed in place. The wings are a very tight fit and in normal flying should not require any gluing. With the prop on the motor shaft all that remained was to attach the decals. These are suitably sticky and, as usual, care has to be taken to avoid them curling and sticking to themselves. Several pairs of hands would be an asset for this job! A quick weight check showed that the Spy Hawk weighed a mere 180 g (6.3 oz), exactly what is shown in the instruction manual, which gives a low wing loading. Ready To Transmit With the Spy Hawk ready for flight it was time to take a better look at the Tx and the functions of the control and video systems. After the Tx has been paired with the plane programming can be accessed by pressing the Enter key. On the screen there are various options: Set Reverse, Set Sensitivity, Plane Type Air Plane/Heli, Expert Mode, Stick Mode 1-2 and 5.8 GHz Frequency. I thought that one could switch off the Autopilot and change to manual but this option does not appear on my menu. The Spy Hawk has gyros on all the control surfaces and it s quite uncanny to watch the surfaces move to counteract 64 www.qefimagazine.com Spyhawk_QEFI_SEP12.indd 64 13/8/12 09:05:26
Kit Review Hubsan Spy Hawk Patio view showing control stick information. Top right is the Tx battery voltage and top left is the flight time counter Climbing away steadily at my farmer s field flying site A few circuits before heading upwards shows off the clean lines of this model Programming menu allows you a few options unwanted movements and smooth the flight. The video camera can be switched on and off to record via a tiny switch on the video PC board, or by using the Enter switch on the Tx. When switched on the elapsed time appears on the Tx screen in red numbers. The inflight switch is a very good idea and avoids lots of unwanted video. By viewing the screen and activating the camera as and when needed allows the pilot to get exactly the footage required. The voltage of the Tx battery is also shown on the screen. Everyman s FPV? The manual recommends that the 5.8 GHz antenna on the model is pointing as straight down as possible for the best video transmission, and the video range is listed as 300-400 m. Following the FPV UK rules, the model should not be flown higher than 400 ft and an 840 mm wingspan model is going to look small at 100 m and mighty small at 200 m! I decided to fly the Spy Hawk as though it was a conventional model first with the screen shut. This would allow me to check out the controls and the effect of the autopilot as though I was flying a standard electric glider. In a light wind the Sky Hawk performed brilliantly. The motor has ample power for a fast climb and also has a very flat glide. The autopilot really does smooth out the flying and holds the model on track. I found that the rudder is very effective and combining the rudder and ailerons produced really smooth turns. A lightweight model that flies this well is going to be very easy to land and this proved to be correct. Next time it was up and away with the screen open and even in quite bright sunshine the picture was easy to see. Initially, and until Looking back towards where I am piloting the Spy Hawk confidence has been gained, the screen is just peeped at and the view admired. As with any FPV flying the issue is not with the roll function (aileron) as the effects of this are immediately seen, but with the pitch (elevator) control. However, the autopilot function on the Spy Hawk takes away this worry as the little model flies beautifully straight and level. One word of caution is that the size of the Spy Hawk means that it can be quite hard to locate if you have spent some time viewing the screen. This is, of course, just where the Competent Observer steps in as he/she has been watching the model and, if required, can tell you that it is getting too high or too far away. You definitely do lose contact with your location and altitude when you watch the screen for some time. The OSD that is being developed will give you a useful reading of altitude. Flying on another occasion, in much windier conditions, I was conscious of several things. Firstly, that the Spy Hawk could easily climb OOS (out of sight) on a minimum of power. Secondly, that it had the ability to virtually hover in the wind with the motor off. And thirdly, and the most important, I had to work quite hard to get back www.qefimagazine.com 65 Spyhawk_QEFI_SEP12.indd 65 13/8/12 09:07:54
A nice view over the countryside. You can fly higher than intended when you get absorbed by the scenery! Banking around to land in the field on the left after another exciting flight introduction to FVP but performs exceptionally well in its own right. Its compact size and quite amazing fl ight performance provides a great deal of enjoyment. The small size is a big advantage if you want to take the Spy Hawk away on holiday or if you just want to fl y it in different locations. Although I was a bit doubtful about the function of the autopilot it is actually a great aid to smooth fl ying. The fi xed camera does have limitations but, as with my camera plane, one soon learns the heights and positions required to fi lm exactly what you want. The picture on the screen helps and the ability to switch the camera on and off is a real bonus. I really love this model and will be fl ying it whenever I have the opportunity. It s a great little performer in its own right and the camera and FPV option add a fascinating experience to model fl ying. Q&EFI Open up the throttle and the sky s the limit. Just remember, it s quite small! down to the ground. The recorded video images are really good and certainly as good as I get from my normal camera plane. I found the reception to be excellent, wherever the model was positioned. Flights of over the suggested 15 minutes are possible if there is some wind, as a minimum of power is required to maintain height and position. Additional Pilots Notes While the Tx is in programming Blue Screen mode the Tx controls do not operate the model. This mode is entered by pressing the Enter button for one second. However, switching the video camera on and off uses the same button. It is possible to enter the programming mode by mistake when you intended to switch on the video. Obviously, if you are watching the screen when you press the button to switch on the video you will realise what you have done and can quickly press the Exit button. If you are not aware you have done this, you soon will be when the control inputs get no reaction from the model! Fortunately the autopilot continues to work which means the model will continue to fl y safely. The 5.8 GHz video transmission channel can be changed via the programming function. Hubsan are producing a headset but if you have a Fatshark 5.8 GHz headset you can choose a compatible channel on the Tx and see the video picture using the Fatshark headset. The picture on the Tx is not affected. Back To Earth I suspect that a committed FPV flyer may not consider the Spy Hawk as a serious contender in this genre. In my opinion it represents excellent value for money and not only provides a good Specification INFORMATION Name: Spy Hawk Manufacturer: Hubsan Distributor: CML Distribution Ltd Price: 214.00 Model Type: R/C motor glider equipped with FPV system Motor: C1404 Brushless 3000 kv brushless motor Battery: 2S 450 LiPo Prop: 110 x 30 mm prop (4.3" x 1.2") R/C FUNCTIONS 1 Aileron 2 Elevator 3 Throttle 4 Rudder 5 Autopilot 6 Video on/off SPECIFICATIONS Wingspan: 840 mm (33") Length: 620 mm (24.5") Weight: 180 g (6.3 oz) TEST DISLIKES Instruction booklet could be improved. But does include a separate sheet of information about the video camera Use of the same button for video activation and programming the Tx LIKES Flies extraordinarily well and the autopilot works perfectly Video quality is very good Ability to combine normal fl ying and FPV using the Tx 66 www.qefimagazine.com Spyhawk_QEFI_SEP12.indd 66 13/8/12 09:06:53